After Stephanie Moore and Adam Dalgarno set out to find a home in west Toronto, they anticipated some serious compromises. “Our wish list was lengthy, and our budget was tight. Adam was fresh to town, and I just out of college, and we both wanted a distance that would serve as our home and adapt our new small business ventures,” states Moore. On their wish list was distance for Rusted Maple, Dalgarno’s design workshop, along with Moore’s home daycare, that would comprise five preschoolers and Rowan, Dalgarno’s son.
Two years back they found this rental on the top two floors of an early-20th-century Victorian. The bones were good, the light was warm, and they knew this would be home. “We’re so happy we had the ideal canvas to work with,” states Moore. Since that time the couple has filled their distance from present and their past with items, developing a narrative of cooperation and love.
at a Glance
Who lives here: Stephanie Moore and Adam Dalgarno with son Rowan
Location: Roncesvalles neighborhood of Toronto
Size: 1,000 square feet; 1 master loft, 1 bath, and playroom and garage studio
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Large south-facing bay windows fill the living room with natural light. The family spends a great deal of time in here, making memories and music with instruments from their travels, including a shakuhachi (Japanese flute), a yurdaki from travels in Australia, a singing drum from Nigeria and a djembe from Zambia, where Dalgarno spent most of his childhood years.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Dalgarno made the coffee table with recovered wood.
Wall paint: Glow, Behr; accent paint: Ellie, CIL/Glidden; sofa: Hovås, Ikea; coffee table: Rusted Maple
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Possessing a home full of curious hands and minds five days a week doesn’t detour Moore from developing a delicately beautiful home. “I wanted to make sure that the kids felt as comfortable as we all do,” Moore states. “There is not anything at their level they aren’t permitted to explore.” Branch trimmings are used for building towers; walnuts at a sensed bowl are for sorting and counting. “It is endlessly rewarding to see Rowan and his daycare buddies are both learning how to care for their living space, grow within in and choose what they need from it,” states Moore.
Vintage tray: Seafoam Green Lace, Fringe and Fettle Ceramics; blossoms: Coriander Girl; wooden bowl: Rusted Maple
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Dalgarno added custom pieces such as this floating shelf at the vestibule beside an antique mirror. “I draw inspiration from natural elements and well-worn materials,” he states. “The character produced by way of time on older wood and steel by way of textures, colours and warmth never ceases to amaze me. These substances wear their history on their sleeves, occasionally years of grim need to be peeled back, but there is always wonder to be found.”
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Although the kitchen (seen in the rear here) isn’t exactly to the couple’s taste — Moore says she would love open shelving — they have injected personality through bits such as a huge piece of driftwood along with a hanging pot rack at the window. “Our biggest challenge is determining how much time and money to invest in a home that we’ve made ours but don’t have possession of,” states Moore. “We intend to keep here for at least a few more years, and so that has swayed our decision to perform some permanent work, such as painting, however, there are still constraints.”
Wall paint: Ellie, CIL/Glidden
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The dining room is decorated with a gallery wall of family photographs that set off a farmhouse table with mismatched chairs and spacious shelves displaying kitchen provisions that are useful. The couple painted the accent wall and swapped a normal rental light to get a custom piece by Dalgarno to change what was an otherwise white-walled space.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The playroom is on the primary floor of the apartment and is the heart of the home. Many of the toys and furniture pieces are classic and inspired by Moore’s grandma’s “Some of my most cherished childhood memories were made in my grandparents’ farmhouse in rural Northern Ontario,” says Moore. “My grandmother had an affinity for old things, and it was definitely inherited. As a child of the Depression era, along with a strong farm girl, she ensured that all needed the longest possible life — always saving things from auctions and flea markets to give away or incorporate into her property.” This Rowan prepares tea onto a 120-year-old farmhouse table and chairs.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Storage is particularly important in the play area; Dalgarno constructed the storage unit at the bay window which houses books and toys.
Wall paint: Bali Hai, CIL/Glidden
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The toilet has many original components, including the tub, floor tiles and wall tiles.
The French-style casement window provides a home for an always-changing collection of soaps, plants and freshly cut flowers. The subway and hexagonal mosaic tiles take Moore back to her first trip to New York City and, more especially, the Chelsea Hotel.
Stool: habit, Rusted Maple; cable basket: The Mercantile
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Locking the door and unwinding in the bath with a good read and a glass of wine is Moore’s favorite relaxing ritual. “I devote a great deal of my time in this house, and I never tire of the distance,” she states.
Japanese towel: Kontex
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The hallway features a floating staircase to the rental unit’s second-floor attic, allowing light to flood through the primary floor. This was the very appealing feature to the couple — one of these surprises that you did not know you wanted until you had it.
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The attic’s bedroom space combines natural linens with a rustic door repurposed as a headboard to make a relaxing area.
Bedding: West Elm; wall paint: Antique Tin, Behr
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
Moore and Dalgarno discuss the attic with Rowan, who has a cozy nook filled with pillows and classic toys. Moore made all of the bedding. “I love to have a hand in everything that goes into our home — literally,” she states. “It’s important to feel attached to your space, and engaging with all the materials you use to decorate is an important part of creating that feeling of home for me personally, rental or never.”
Jenn Hannotte / Hannotte Interiors
The couple (displayed here with Rowan) enjoys the hunt for unique pieces at their favorite rural flea markets. “There is no other location in the world I’d rather be on a Sunday morning,” Moore states. “Between my persistent desire to find paintings and Dalgarno’s carpentry, electrical and welding skills, we create a good design group” Some of their favorite places along Highway 7 between Toronto and their home are Otter Creek Antiques at Lombardy and Stone Acre Manor Antiques at Brockville.
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